Utah heads to California for Pac-12 action on the road

SALT LAKE CITY –  The University of Utah women’s tennis team is set to embark on their final first Pac-12 road trip of the year. Heading to Washington this coming weekend, the Utes are tasked with a pair of matches against the Washington State Cougars and the Washington Huskies. 


MATCH INFORMATION
Utah (9-3) vs. Washington State (8-4)
DATE | TIME: Friday, Mar. 15 | 1:00 p.m. MT
LOCATION: Pullman, WA | Hollingbery Fieldhouse
LIVE STREAM: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UteWomensTennis


MATCH INFORMATION
Utah (9-3) vs. Washington (10-6)
DATE | TIME: Sunday, Mar. 17 | 12:00 p.m. MT
LOCATION: Seattle, WA | Nordstrom Tennis Center
LIVE STATS: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UteWomensTennis


FIRST SERVE
Utah is slated for two conference matches this weekend, where the Utes will travel to Pullman to take on Washington State on Mar. 15, before heading to Seattle for a match against Washington on Mar. 17. 


LAST TIME OUT
In their last match, the Utes faced the Oregon Ducks at home, grabbing the early jump by capturing the doubles point. Utah duo Macela Lopez and Ana Luiza Cruz claimed a 6-2 victory on court No. 1, while Sara Akid and Kaila Barksdale clinched doubles with a 6-4 win on the third court.


After the Ducks took the lead in singles, Lopez regained traction for the Utes in the No. 1 spot by collecting a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win. Cruz followed suit on the sixth court, defeating her opponent 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 to put Utah in the lead. Kat Lyman then claimed the match winning point by topping her opposition 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 on court No. 4. 


IN THE RANKS
The Utes are currently ranked No. 44 in the country, after taking down Oregon for their fifth straight victory last weekend. Utah’s Marcela Lopez is ranked No. 75 in the country after posting a 7-3 record so far on the season. In the fall she claimed a runner-up title at the ITA Regionals and made an ITA Championship appearance where she picked up two wins in consolation play. 


HEAD COACH RIC MORTERA
Ric Mortera is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Utah women’s tennis program entering the 2024 spring slate. So far in his tenure he has accumulated a 54-44 overall record. In the 2022-23 season, under Coach Mortera’s leadership, the Utes notched a 13-11 record and topped the ITA Mountain Region rankings. Highlights included their inaugural win against Cal and a…